A standardized set of more than 80 compounds with known or predicted activity against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, has been compiled by the Medicines for Malaria Venture in an effort to catalyze the discovery of drugs for the disease. The announcement comes amidst rapid shifts in the research around potential COVID-19 treatments. Just […] Continue reading ->
While children seem to largely escape the worst COVID-19 infections, lockdowns to curb the pandemic have increased exposure to a different threat to children’s health – abuse and violence. In Eastern Uganda, where so far no child has been infected with COVID-19, lockdowns have led to an uptick in reports of child abuse, exploitation, and […] Continue reading ->
A rising star in the COVID-19 treatment arena, dexamethasone – a powerful corticosteroid – has stirred excitement among World Health Organization experts and researchers around the world, following the publication of promising early results from the United Kingdom’s Recovery trial.  In COVID-19 patients only receiving supplemental oxygen, the trial found that dexamethasone reduced mortality by […] Continue reading ->
About 1.7 billion people, or 22% of the world’s population, has at least one underlying health condition that puts them at increased risk of becoming seriously ill with COVID-19, according to a new modelling study published in Lancet Global Health.   Based on the new assessment, about 4% of the world’s population, in total, is at […] Continue reading ->
Asymptomatic transmission is possible, but the World Health Organization is still unsure as to what extent asymptomatic COVID-19 infections contribute to the spread of the virus, according to WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Wednesday. “Since early February, we have said that there are asymptomatic people that can transmit COVID-19. But we need more […] Continue reading ->
In what he described as a great “public health victory,” the World Trade Organization has ruled that Australia’s plain packaging requirements for tobacco products did not infringe on international trade, said the World Health Organization Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Wednesday. The decision by the WTO on Tuesday comes just as it also opened […] Continue reading ->